For freelancers, the self-employed, those setting up their own small businesses, or employees with the flexibility to work from home, having a dedicated space to do your job is a must. This article is full of tips for setting up your home office, essential gadgets you’ll want to get your hands on, and tactics on how to be at your most productive in the comfort of your own home.

Why is a home office important?

The number of people working from home has been growing rapidly over the past decade. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) predicts that 50% of the workforce will be working remotely by 2020. More and more companies are offering flexible working for employees, acknowledging the benefits of working from home which include increased productivity, motivation, and the creation of a better work/life balance – cutting down on the stress, time and cost of commuting.

Setting up a productive workspace

The ability to work from home and the flexibility that comes with it is one of the major motivators for people deciding to start their own business. However, with that flexibility comes great responsibility and setting up a productive home office space can really help with that.

Create a separate working space

Separate your home office from your living areas so that you can minimise distractions and so that your co-habitants respect your working environment. It also works the other way around so that you’re not distracted by work when you should have knocked off for the day.

Surround yourself with inspiration

“I think it’s really important to use the vertical space well in a small home office. Pinboards, gallery shelves, magazine racks, and a strong bookcase/shelves mean you can keep a clear floor space and surround yourself with lists and inspirations.”

Focus on your health and wellbeing

Freelancers and the self-employed do one third more exercise than others according to Live Force (but may also eat more biscuits!) Design an office space and a working routine that has a focus on your health and fitness for happier and more energetic working days and less time off sick.

Ideas for a home office

Pinterest is the perfect place to start collating your home office ideas. Set yourself a suitable budget and just make sure you don’t spend too long deliberating what your office should look like when you should be working!

Utilise what space you have

If you don’t have a spare room that you can turn into an office, do you have space for a shed or summerhouse that can become your workspace?

Avoid clutter

Make the most of your space with clever storage like floating shelves.

Mix it up

Don’t feel like you have to work from your home office every day. Combine it with working from client offices, the local library or a cool cafe.

Be disciplined

Decide what hours you’re going to work each day and schedule in routine times for activities like phone calls, breaks and checking emails. Write your working hours on your door and try to stick to them.

Embrace the freedom

Work hard and keep a routine where necessary, but also embrace the flexibility that working from home allows. Change your working hours to suit you, slot in time for exercise and being creative.

Checklist: Workspace essentials for a home office

Regardless of the type of work you do, here are ten workspace essentials for your home office…

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You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your chair so invest in a good one that’s ergonomic. Also look at creating an option to have a standing desk for part of the day.

Computer, printer and scanner

If you spend a long time at the computer make sure your screen size and height are appropriate and you have regular breaks.

Phone

If you need a landline as well as a mobile then it’s best to get a separate phone line to your home one.

WiFi

Amazing, reliable WiFi is a big deal if you’re home working. Research the best supplier in your area and consider investing in boosters.

Lighting

Ideally, your home office should have great natural daylight but you’ll need good lighting regardless for the early mornings, late evenings and winter months.

Plants

Plants have been proven to reduce stress and improve air quality. Now just to keep them alive!

Planners and organisers

Calendars and plans are largely done digitally these days (see below for some useful tools) but sometimes there’s no replacing big pieces of white paper, whiteboards, and post-it notes with chunky markers for coming up with ideas, plans and writing down deadlines.

Tune in or tune out

Dogs are amazing company for lonely days in the office and they double up as great foot warmers. They also make sure you get lots of time away from the screen, exercising in the fresh air. If you can’t commit to training and looking after a dog full-time then consider borrowing one from the Cinnamon Trust.

*Cats and other pets are available.

Video: Hacks for setting up your home office

by Forbes

Check out this video from Forbes for some great tips and tricks for setting up your home office…

Home office tech and gadgets

Make your working day much easier, more productive and keep up with the competition with these smart tech tools and gadgets.

Trello Create boards on your desktop or mobile to manage projects and to do lists. You can share and assign boards and tasks to others and it’s a great way to see what you’ve got done, as well as prioritising what there is left to do.

Google DriveOnline drive and storage of all your documents, photos, spreadsheets and presentations. Google offers it’s own free versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint (Docs, Sheets and Slides) that autosave online every few seconds, can be accessed from anywhere and are easy to share and collaborate on in real time.

Toggl Track your productivity with this free time tracking device. You can break down your hours by projects and clients to see how efficient you are and how much money you’re really making.

DoodleDoodle polls make it super simple to find a time and a date that everyone can do for meetings and get-togethers.

Insurance for my home business

If you have a home office or work from home then you should talk to your insurance company about your level of cover. You might not need a different policy from your home insurance but you need to make sure that your insurer understands your situation and you may need some additional cover. Insurers recognise three main classifications of home working on policies:

Clerical business use only

Regular business visitors to the property

Other business use

Other insurance considerations you may need to take into account:

Public liability insurance – if you have customers or other members of the public visit you at your home office.

Employers’ liability insurance – if any employees work from your home office with you.

Professional indemnity insurance – to protect yourself against a client who claims you’ve been negligent in your work.